Job Description

UW Medicine Advancement has an excellent opportunity for a Director for Special Events.

At UW Medicine, we work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research, and education and training programs. As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, leads one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provides innovative learning programs for students, trainees, and practitioners in the health professions.

The passionate, 68-person team at UW Medicine Advancement works collaboratively to connect donors with meaningful opportunities to enhance patient care, expand educational opportunities and advance research at UW Medicine. This inspiring, challenging and rewarding work provides team members an opportunity to grow their careers, while making a difference in people’s lives, in our community and around the world. In the 2021 fiscal year, UW Medicine Advancement raised $377 million in gifts and private grants (52 percent of the University of Washington’s total) from over 18,000 donors to support the mission of UW Medicine.

The UW Medicine Advancement special events team provides integrated and strategic development and implementation of stakeholder experiences in support of UW Medicine’s fundraising priorities. We are an open, ethical, highly engaged and collaborative community based on trust, transparency and mutual respect. We believe in the importance of quality of life, embracing diversity and making a difference.

While reinforcing UW Medicine’s mission and storytelling, the director ensures that special events strategically support and advance fundraising and marketing and communications priorities, including facilitating conversations around major gifts. The position is responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating a strategic and comprehensive program for fundraising events, major gift cultivation events and stewardship events, including one or more major, annual, high-profile community fundraising events that raise more than $1 million. The director leads a team of special events professionals. The director facilitates the development of alumni event strategy and provides oversight of the production of alumni events. In all of these efforts, this position works with academic and administrative leaders, high-level local and national volunteers, alumni, donors and colleagues across campus. This position directly manages a team of three.

This position has a primary worksite at UW Medicine’s South Lake Union campus in Seattle. A hybrid work arrangement may be available. Hybrid work means that remote work may be possible for a day or more per week, depending on business need, on an ongoing basis.

 RESPONSIBILITIES

Develops and implements strategies for UW Medicine’s cultivation and stewardship events for major gift and annual fund donors (35%).

• Creates and implements 30 or more strategic events each year that support fundraising goals by engaging major donors, prospects, volunteers and senior-level academic and administrative staff in the mission of UW Medicine.
• Develops events and activities that engage donors of all levels — from $100 to $1 million+. Recruits and manages the activities of high-level volunteers.
• Develops overall strategy, program and budget for each event.
• Recruits and briefs program participants, including prepared remarks and annotated guest lists. Current events range from intimate dinners with major gift donors, to large-scale formal events, to volunteer meetings, to multi-faceted programs that highlight our mission.

Develops and implements strategies for UW Medicine’s fundraising events as an integral component of overall advancement program (30%).

• Plans an integrated signature fundraising event that showcases UW Medicine.
• Develops and implements strategic plans for current fundraising events that maximize return on investment (and exposure for UW Medicine) to high-profile audiences.
• Identifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards event Corporate Partners and individual donors with an emphasis on building long-term relationships and securing multi-year commitments.
• Works closely with the assistant vice president for marketing and communications, the director of communications and the director of donor relations to ensure that event strategy is fully integrated and leveraged with the department’s marketing plan — and aligned with the goals, needs and resources on the events, communications and donor relations teams.
• Works closely with fundraising colleagues prior to events to identify and cultivate lead donations that will help leverage additional contributions.
• Generates new leads for major gift prospects through event activities and coordinates follow-up with fundraising colleagues.
• Identifies high-level volunteer leadership for each event and manages their involvement, providing training, support and stewardship.
• Works with volunteers and colleagues to develop audience, ensuring that events are reaching and engaging audiences and motivating a deeper relationship with UW Medicine.
• Conducts personal visits and tours with Corporate Partners, individual donors, prospects and volunteers to build mutually beneficial relationships.
• Works with Central Advancement and UW Medicine Strategic Marketing and Communications events’ teams on an as-needed basis and/or proactively to ensure maximum results for UW Medicine and the University of Washington.
• Creates and manages budgets for entire events program with a goal of greatest possible return on investment.
• Develops procedures for securing underwriting that ensure compliance with all UW policies.

Participates in development of strategy for alumni events that engage alumni in an on-going relationship with UW Medicine while encouraging their philanthropic support (20%).

• Provides oversight for the development of alumni engagement strategy through events as well as the production of alumni events, including the Reunion Weekend (including individual class reunions), with specific focus on programmatic growth.
• Ensures alumni events are integrated and aligned with alumni strategy by working closely with alumni director to drive maximum return on investment.
• Manages the activities of assigned reunion committees for programmatic events
• Collaborates with members of the education team to coordinate activities related to alumni and other groups.
• Serves as a resource for alumni staff on UW and UW Medicine policies and procedures for purchasing and event production.

Oversees and executes all management functions for this position (15%).  

• Oversees all personnel functions, including interviewing/hiring, training and development, performance appraisals, promotions/reclassifications, salary adjustments, disciplinary actions and/or handling complaints/grievances for full-time event staff.
• Provides oversight in integrated project teams that include volunteers, contracted external vendors and programming, technical, production and show staff.
• Develops an annual operating plan, budget and calendar. Provides regular reports and documents all procedures and protocols.
• Establishes and monitors budgetary needs for events and related activities, approving their budgetary expenditures. Also responsible for contributing to budgetary estimates for ad hoc/unplanned events as requested.
• Analyzes and develops unit policies and procedures on events and manages business operations related to events. Evaluates external events for marketing opportunities and outcomes, satisfaction levels, and improvement opportunities.
• Represents UW Medicine Advancement on campus committees and ensures compliance with UW policies and procedures.
• Coordinates UW Medicine Advancement’s participation in donor event activities produced by Central Advancement.
• Other duties as assigned.

POSITION COMPLEXITIES

This position oversees a complicated, fast-paced, high-volume and highly visible program that involves prominent donors, volunteers, and academic and administrative staff — all with a relatively small staff and the expectation that event outcomes and revenue outcomes improve each year. It requires an individual who can develop big-picture strategies, then implement the myriad of details required for success. Because a number of events require significant underwriting, the scope of this position is broader than that found in events positions in academic programs.

IMPACT TO THE UNIVERSITY

Advancement and alumni events are central to a successful and comprehensive advancement program. Not only do events provide the means to generate gift income, but they also provide the opportunity for individuals and corporate representatives to become engaged in the mission of UW Medicine. Events also build awareness of UW Medicine in the community; in turn, new donors are identified and solicited.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5 years of experience in event management. This should include 3–5 years of supervising event planners as well as extensive experience with special events that require complicated venue build-out and production.
• Experience working with complex budgets, preparing financial spreadsheets and tracking expenditures. Ability to manage event expenditures to ensure staying within limited budgets. Must be able to understand and navigate a complicated, state-regulated purchasing environment, including developing solicitations for public posting and competitive bids to procure vendors and suppliers.
• Works to resolve conflicts and differences through dialog and open communication in a timely manner. Sees every difference as an opportunity for growth and change.
• Intrinsically motivated and able to create innovative ideas to achieve results. Recognizes and seizes opportunities. Proven ability to lead strategy and inspire creativity among a team.
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to managing, developing, mentoring and coaching direct reports while working collaboratively with colleagues.
• Ability to effectively communicate objectives, energize and inspire staff to achieve results and meet goals while creating a culture of teamwork within teams in UW Medicine Advancement and across organizational units.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, manage and achieve comprehensive team goals; ability to accurately forecast and develop both short-term and long-term goals.
• Strong interpersonal skills and customer service orientation. Poised, professional manner and the ability to communicate clearly, directly and empathetically in all interactions: verbal and written communications, one-on-one conversations and in groups, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively and skillfully engage others in ways that help resolve differences, manage conflicts and build consensus, all with the best interests of the organization in mind. Advances team and organizational goals above individual goals.
• Demonstrated creativity, organizational ability, empathy and strong attention to detail. Ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations, exercise good judgment based on information and analysis in a fast-paced, dynamic, deadline-driven environment in an organized and professional manner.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidences and protect confidential information.
• Ability to act in a selfless manner and model ethical values of UW Medicine.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications.
• Equivalent education/experience may substitute for stated requirements.

 OTHER CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• This staff member will regularly be required to work evenings and weekends to fulfill responsibilities. Some local and regional travel is expected. The successful candidate will be expected to have regular, reliable transportation for local travel and be willing to travel when necessary.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 80,000 - 100,000.

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